Broncos Football Team Aims to Win Big Against Wheeling

Hopefully, coach Joe Sanchez likes juggling.

In three games to start the early season, Barrington’s backfield has averaged a staggering 224 yards of rushing with various running backs getting their chances, and the Broncos’ Sanchez knows that with that much production comes at least one issue.

“We have three different styles of backs,” Sanchez said after Barrington’s 28-19 victory over Elk Grove. “Our challenge is to get them on the field.”

“Chase (Murdock) is a power back with abilities to rip off the big run; Justin (Dragosz) is a slasher and a guy who can easily cut back; and Austin (Schmidt) is a scat back with speed,” Sanchez went on to say.

Barrington’s Murdock highlights the running attack with the majority of chances and has a startling 7.26 yards per carry. And there isn’t much of a drop-off when Justin Dragosz (6.27 yards) or Austin Schmidt (3.3 yards) is given their attempts. So what happens when one is on the field?

“I’m certain that when one rips off a good run, the other two are like, ‘Let me in there,’ ” Sanchez said.

But watching on the sidelines isn’t producing any sort of team competition according to Murdock — rather, it is keeping them all focused.

“We’re just working together,” Murdock said. “It’s great to watch and they do an awesome job stepping in ... I think the offense is still improving each week and we still have yet to play our best football,” Murdock said.

The Broncos (2-1) have a chance to improve this week as they travel to Wheeling (at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16) in this year’s final MSL crossover game, which hopefully doesn’t turn into a trap game for Barrington, whose homecoming is the next week.

The Wildcats (1-2) began the season with a 29-20 win at Mundelein, but since then have scored only 10 points in their last two games.

Being led by a pair of seniors, quarterback Tyler Brady and running back Ed Scanlon, will look to re-establish momentum. While averaging 264 yards of offense (133 yards rushing), the Wildcats still have some bite. It has been the hidden yardage produced from turnovers and penalties that has cost Wheeling. Brady has completed more than 50 percent of his passes for nearly 400 yards, but six interceptions and two team fumbles have proven costly.

Scanlon, averaging 70 yards rushing on 14 carries, will head straight into Barrington’s defensive line that last week only allowed 83 yards on the ground and helped force Hersey’s Brad Zaucha into poor throws, resulting in three interceptions.

“Our defensive line did a great job against Hersey,” Sanchez said. “They work extremely hard with their position coach, Al Sekulic, and proved to be the difference.”

Barrington’s offense didn’t do too badly against Hersey either, and this week it will square off against a Wheeling defense that has averaged 310 yards (157 yards rushing) and 27 points. Expect Barrington to stick with their game plan of running behind an offensive line that helped rack up 326 yards of offense.

“The offensive line did an awesome job all night,” Murdock said. “Having (Dan) Voltz there all game only helps us out more.”

Sanchez agreed with Murdock, but he also felt some key blocks were made from other key positions.

“Our fullback, Daniel Davidson, and our two tight ends, Lee Conforti and Evan Lindroth, were able to do things that we wanted to do against Hersey,” said Sanchez.

Eliminating the penalty bug, a solid defense and Barrington’s variety of running backs, should have Barrington entering homecoming, and the midseason, with a winning record. But which running back will line up in the backfield is anyone’s guess, and that’s the way Sanchez likes it.

“We are just trying to give people a different taste,” Sanchez said. “Having multiple backs that can do multiple things is ultimately what we are going to need when it gets near the end, and you have to give people something different to see.”